Stacking Stones​A Creative Craft Blog

From the mind of Jason Kapcala comes an eclectic journal dedicated to the study of creative writing, rock music, tailgating, and other miscellany. The musings, meditations, contemplations, and ruminations expressed here are my own unless otherwise indicated. Please feel free to share your comments, thoughts, and opinions, but do so respectfully and intelligently.

It's Conference Championship time, the games that will decide who makes it into the Super Bowl. For us, this is an exciting day because it puts an end to all the speculation and allows us to start planning our team-themed Super Bowl menu. (This year, Mina is taking the NFC, while Kap takes the AFC!)

To celebrate, we're doing a unique take on an old classic. You know, some things just go together--like peanut butter & jelly, like hamburgers & french fries, like Kap & Mina & tailgating! Today, it's every carnivore's favorite: Surf & Turf. But we're not going with the tired old steak with lobster tail. We're aiming for combos that are inventive, off-beat, personally relevant. This is one you don't want to miss!

"Surf & Turf"

OVEN ROASTED JAMAICAN JERK COD, AND BEEF AND BROCCOLISERVED OVER RICE

While Kap is going wild with fancy-pants recipes, I was drawn to two throw-backs from my college years at BC. This recipe for cod works for almost any white fish you've got on hand. (I actually learned it at a women's homeless shelter, back in 2006.) It's so easy that my mother adopted it and put it in to our family "rotation" for fun fish dishes.

Beef and Broccoli, on the other hand, is just a fun memory I have of ordering Chinese food in my old dormitory on Commonwealth Avenue (before I met Kap and had a cooking buddy for football games). But it's another easy one that my mother mastered a while back, only she uses chicken.

Obviously very little ties these two recipes together (other than my own fond memories), but I am making some rice, which pairs well with both of them. You can find a jazzy flavor for your rice, or just use plain white. They'll taste great either way.

Dredge each fillet in cracker/spice mixture until well-coated. Set fillets on greased non-stick baking tray.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or more, until cracker/spice batter on fish is browned. Serve over rice with Jamaican Jerk sauce or Pickapeppa sauce for dipping.

Beef with Broccoli

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 (10.5 oz.) can beef broth

2 TBSP brown sugar

2 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP oyster sauce

1 lb. boneless round steak, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 tsp. fresh ginger root, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 c. fresh broccoli, chopped

Sriracha sauce (optional) to taste

In a small bowl, combine flour, broth, sugar, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. Stir until sugar and flour are dissolved.

In a large skillet or wok over high heat, cook and stir beef 2 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Stir in broth mixture, ginger, garlic, and broccoli. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes (or until sauce thickens). Serve with Sriracha over rice.

So there's always one tailgate per season where I abandon my no-frills principles and go way overboard with the fanciness of my recipes.

This is that week.

And you know what? I don't even feel sorry for it. Here's the thing: Through doing this, I've learned that tailgating means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. What you eat depends on where you're from, who you're with, and what traditions you've created with your family and friends.

The most extravagant tailgate I ever went to was held under a tent larger than my apartment. They served steak and crab cakes. All you can eat. There was a full bar under the tent and a cooler filled with more ice cream than I'd ever seen in my entire life. And you know what? People loved it. It wasn't some stuffed-shirt, barely-watch-the-game tailgate. It was a great experience. So don't tell me football fans don't get glamorous once in a while when it comes to their gameday eats.

Pork belly and scallops is probably not something you'd make every week, but I guarantee you that no one is going to be complaining about that when the game kicks off and the plates are passed around.

The pork is like bacon on PEDs, and it goes perfectly with the creaminess of the scallops and the tang from that bed of orange-pickled fennel!

On a roasting pan, lay the pork belly, fat-side up. Score lightly with a sharp knife and sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and cover with a piece of foil. Bake for 2 hours. Check to make sure the pork is tender. If not tender, cook uncovered for another 1/2 hour. Keep doing this until your pork reaches the desired tenderness. (Keep in mind, with all the fat, pork belly can cook for a long time.)

2 lbs. Pork Belly, skin on (do not remove fat) -- I cheated a bit and used a ready-cooked pork belly from Trader Joe's that just had to be reheated and pan fried to the desired crispiness*

Olive Oil, to drizzle

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 oz. Bourbon

1/8 c. Dark Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Sea Salt

1 tsp. Spicy Paprika

1/4 c. Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp. freshly ground Black Pepper

1/2 TBSP Spicy Ground Mustard

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

1 Bay Leaf

Pinch of Thyme, for garnish (or use a sprig of fresh thyme)

Let cool. This pork belly can be cooked the night before and refrigerated.

Pat pork belly dry with a paper towel. Slice the pork belly and pan fry for 5 minutes or so in oil over medium-high heat, fat-side down. Flip the pork belly slices and fry on the other side for about 2 minutes more.

Remove the pork belly from the pan. Drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with thyme and serve.

Spray griddle or pan. Cook scallops over high heat until browned on the outside and opaque in the center (2-3 minutes on each side). The way to tell if a scallop is done is to lightly ball your first. The scallops should be as firm as the fleshy pad below your thumb. No firmer--do notovercook your scallops!

Drizzle the glaze over the scallops and garnish with fennel leaves.

Orange Pickled Fennel

"Cross-legged on my towel I let the juice courseand mingle with the film of salt on my lipsand the sand in my beard as I steadily peel and eat it."

- Campbell McGrath (from "The Orange")

1 Fennel Bulb, thinly sliced

1/2 rib of Celery, julienned

2 TBSP Kosher Salt

1 small Orange, sliced

6-8 Black Peppercorns

1/2 tsp. of White Sugar

1 c. Apple Cider Vinegar

Cut the stem off the fennel and remove the hard core. Slice thinly and toss with the celery in the salt. Let sit for at least an hour.

Move fennel to a colander and squeeze out excess liquid. Toss with orange slices and sugar.

Pack fennel into a mason jar with the sliced oranges. Add vinegar and peppercorns, packing the fennel tightly. Seal tightly and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating.

This will keep for weeks in the fridge. Note: It is not safe for shelf storage.

DRINK RECOMMENDATION: SAKETINIS

There's really nothing Japanese about either of our dishes this week, but Mina does have an Asian theme to her Beef and Broccoli, and I've been wanting to try something a little different lately, so these unique takes on the classic martini are a great way to do something memorable.

- Kap

Classic Saketini

5 oz. Gin

1 oz. Sake

Sliced Cucumber for Garnish

Tropical Saketini

2 oz. Sake

1 oz. Rum

1 oz. Lemon Juice

1 oz. Simple Syrup

1/2 oz. Banana Liquor

1/2 oz. Pineapple Juice

Splash of Amaretto

Squeeze of Lime

1 drop Vanilla Extract

Sliced Lime for Garnish

Maraschino Cherry for Garnish

Sen Sour Saketini

4 oz. Sake

2 oz. Triple Sec

Splash of Sour Mix

Splash of Cranberry Juice

Splash of Ginger Ale

Splash of Lime Juice

Sliced Cucumber for Garnish

For each of these recipes, combine ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a martini glass. Garnish accordingly.

Please note:Each of these recipes makes 2 drinks.

PREDICTIONS

Another week and another middling playoff prediction from Kap. I went only 2 of 2 for the second week in a row. Shows you just how exciting and unpredictable the playoffs can be (and how little I know about predicting for teams that aren't the Eagles). My solution this week is to give up all pretense of trying. I'm just picking underdogs. Why? Because though Mina did not make predictions during the season, she did make one very compelling prediction during the pre-season: that the Patriots and Seahawks would meet in the Super Bowl. Both teams are front runners, so we'll see if Mina makes Sunday Afternoon Tailgate history.

In the spirit of contrarianism, I am picking the Packers and Colts. (It's more like wishing out loud actually. As much as I am actually rooting for Mina to be right, I'm growing sick of Seattle, and I just can't bring myself to cheer for the Pats.)

﻿Packers vs. Seahawks﻿

Why the Pack Should Lose

Because Seattle leads them in every meaningful offensive and defensive category (except passing yards per game). In some cases, the stat line isn't even close.

Because Seattle took the Pack apart in Week 1 of the season (winning by 20) and Richard Sherman's name didn't appear once in the box score. (Imagine what'll happen if Green Bay ever throws a ball in his direction!)

All recipes listed above come from our own imaginations unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell us how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.